Professional wellness travel training launched

A new Wellness Travel Specialist course from The Travel Institute and Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) aims to help travel advisors meet the demands for one of the fastest growing niches in the travel industry.

For a great and growing number of consumers, achieving and maintaining good health while at home or travelling is now a top priority. Some want to incorporate already established wellness practices into a travel itinerary while others want to plan a trip where the focus is on learning how to completely reset or improving healthy habits.

Travel Market Report’s Wellness Travel Outlook 2020 found that over 70% of advisors believe their annual sales for wellness travel are likely to increase in 2021, whether it be spa vacations solely focused on wellness or adventure travel with some wellness component included.

The travel trade therefore needs to adapt to the needs of wellness travel criteria that travellers may be looking for.

The new course for the sector is delivered in collaboration with the WTA, a global network of hotels, resorts, retreats, tour operators, travel advisors and others in the global wellness tourism industry. It gives agents the know-how and business model they need to tap into this lucrative segment with growing demand.

The course covers:

  • Introduction to the wellness travel market
  • Who is the wellness traveller?
  • What is a wellness destination?
  • Wellness travel products
  • Wellness travel branding and promotion
  • Wellness travel sales
  • Creating a wellness travel business/marketing plan

It provides both practical information on wellness travel terminology, trends, buyer profiles and a wide range of wellness products, as well as actionable advice from industry insiders on making wellness travel a successful business segment for agents.

Students who successfully complete the Wellness Travel Specialist course, pass their online exam and submit the experiential checklist will earn standing as a Certified Wellness Travel Specialist and, as applicable, continuing education units, or CEUs, toward maintaining certification from The Travel Institute. Both designations are used by agents to further market experience and expertise as a travel professional. Travel agents who complete the course are also eligible for a discount on WTA membership.